Gardening and horticulture

Activity 6         Grow Your Own Mistletoe by Infecting a Willow Branch

Most people will have used mistletoe to decorate their houses at Christmas and the lucky ones will even have had a Christmas kiss under a sprig. But come Twelfth Night don’t throw your mistletoe away – instead why not use the berries to create your own renewable resource and help in the conservation of the species.

Activity 7         Growing willows for winter stem colourpdf7

The winter and spring are when willows come into their own. This activity provides details of the rainbow of winter colours that are available from the genus. Many of these are suitable for a normal sized garden so you can brighten up you patch during winter and provide lots of material for other activities.

Activity 9         How to grow willows

Willows are dead easy to grow. In most cases all you need to is push a length of shoot known as a cutting into the soil. This will grow into an identical plant – simple as that! This activity also tells you how to propagate alpine species, grow pollards and plant pot grown standards.

Activity 18       Make a simple living willow fence

Living willow is very versatile and can be used as a cheap way of screening unsightly objects such as wheelie bins, septic tanks or oil tanks. In this activity you will learn how to create a living willow fence. You can use your own willow or buy kits from the Wondertree store.

Activity 21       Make a fake stone trough for displaying tiny alpine willows

Willows travel further north into the Arctic Circle and higher into the mountains than any other woody genus. These diminutive relations of the tree willows can be shown off to good effect in an old sink or stone trough. The latter can be very expensive but it is possible to make an inexpensive replica using a mix of cement, grit and compost called hypertufa which when dry resembles naturally porous calcium-rich stone.

Activity 23       Visit a Salicetum

A salicetum is a willow garden. In the 18th -19th century such gardens were quite common as a way to show off weeping willows and other introduced species. Today there are many gardens around the world with diverse willow collections. This activity provides details of some of the best.

Activity 28      Add some old world rustic charm to your vegetables and give them as a gift

If you are visiting some friends and would like to give them a thoughtful but inexpensive gift you could tie up some home grown vegetables with withies. In the days before rubber bands this was a major use for withies and every market garden would have had its own withy bed. 

Activity 29       Brighten up your borders

Given all the plaudits that willows get for their winter stems and catkins in early spring you’d be justified to think that willows were one season plants. However, quite the reverse is true and many willows have quite exceptional foliage throughout the spring summer and autumn. This activity details the best of the bunch.

Activity 31       Make a willow wigwam plant support

Everyone should consider growing a coppice willow on their allotment to provide lots of versatile materials for bean sticks, hurdles, plant ties etc. This activity tells you how to make a plant support. If you haven’t got a willow already then you can buy a plant support kit from the Wondertree store.

Activity 32       Using willow as an early source of nectar for bees

Willow blossom proffers a great service during the spring months by providing an early source of nectar and pollen for foraging bees. Without this rich food source many bees would perish. If you keep bees and don’t already have a small coppice of willows you should perhaps think about planting some. This activity will help you choose willows that produce their catkins at different times throughout the spring. 

Activity 43       Infect willow roots with the Purple Toothwort

The purple toothwort (Lathraea clandestina) is a parasitic plant which grows at the base of willows, alders and poplars. It is leafless but produces small tubular flowers which are coloured purple and white and appear just above the soil surface in the spring.

Activity 48       Make a solution of willow water to help your cuttings take root

Virtually all willows are propagated by hardwood cuttings and as long as good quality material is used, success rates are very high approaching 100%. The ability of willows to take root is brought about by the fact that the growing tips of willows contain high concentrations of the hormone indolebutyric acid (IBA). This activity enables you to make your own rooting solution.

Activity 51       Plant a weeping willow

Weeping willows are amongst the most easily recognized trees in the world. However, there are a number of very closely related types to choose from. This activity describes the best candidates for large and small gardens.

Activity 52       Flower Arranging with Willows

Willows can make quite attractive floral displays on their own but provide the most striking arrangements when used with other flower species. The arrangements described in this activity are based on willows with contorted stems and fluffy silver and black catkins.

Activity 54       Construct a living willow arbour

If you have a small vacant space in your garden or allotment you might consider planting a living willow arbour. This provides a nice shady place to rest and while away a sunny day. This activity might look complicated but in fact is dead easy. Have a go and you’ll be an expert in no time.

Activity 56       Construct a willow rockery

Although we principally think of willows as trees, the vast majority of members of the genus are small to medium sized shrubs accommodating the sub arctic tundra and mountains of Europe, North America and Asia. This activity describes how to construct a craggy rockery to showcase some of the more ornamental species.

Activity 66       Build a mini willow hideaway

Living willow domes provide a safe and aesthetic play area for children. This activity describes a simple willow dome similar in principal to survival shelters and Native American tepees.

Activity 79       Make a flowerbed border

Plants don’t always do what you want them to do. The verdant growth of summer can often cause flowers such as ox eye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare), Crocosmia and Love in the Mist (Nigella spp.) to sprawl outside your borders and onto the lawn. Try this rustic mini willow hurdle to keep your plants in their place.

Activity 87       Plant a haunted tree trail

The willow genus contains enormous variety from tiny creeping shrubs to tall timber trees. Within this range exists a number of oddities which have been selected because of their contorted appearance such as those with twisted or flattened stems and curled up leaves. They are not to all tastes but are certainly striking and would be good in children’s playground because their stems can be harvested for craft projects and as they grow back after cutting they are also virtually vandal proof.

Activity 91       Create a pollard willow with a twist

This cultivation technique is frequently used with bay trees. However, there is no reason why you can’t do something similar with glossy leaved willows which have the added benefit of long slender, golden catkins.

Activity 92       Tying in vines and climbers with willow shoots

The usefulness of willows was remarked upon in some of the earliest scholarly works. The reason why osiers were so esteemed was that their rapid growth and straight form made them ideal for many farm tasks. One of their most important uses was in the cultivation of vines and espaliered fruit trees. Poles were used as props whilst bark peelings and the thinnest osiers were used as rough cordage to tie in vines. Try this technique on your sweet peas.